The Golden Calf

 In the old testament book of exodus there is a passage set in when Moses had gone up on the mountain to receive the tablets with the 10 commandments. And during the time that he was gone his brother Aaron used the collected gold to create the idol called the golden calf. And this was then denounced and etc by god and Moses. A lot of drama ensued a part of which was the death of 3,000 or so people.

At the command of this god they were supposed to love.

It says in this bible that their god is a jealous god. After all, the 1st commandment of the 10 commandments is "I am the lord your god... you shall no other gods before me". Needless to say this god found their golden idle calf to be highly offensive.

Throughout the years of Greek Colonial times and then Roman Imperial times the Jewish people fell into worshipping something other than this god of theirs. In a variety of forms. There was a lot of conflict between the people who stayed "faithful" to their god and those that did not. Many of the "faithful" added the golden calf of Nationalism to the repertoire.

Then came the story of the man from Nazareth. He came to reform the jewish religion. The jewish religion also being a part of the jewish state, colonized by the Roman Empire, this did not sit well with the religious powers of the state. And they killed him in the name of their golden calf, also the golden calf of Rome, Control.

After a while the so called christians split off and formed their own religion with the golden calf called Jesus Christ.

Shortly after that the Emperor Constantine made christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and they added the golden calf of Power to their repertoire.

Throughout the ages following christianity split into many different factions, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, the various Protestant denominations, etc. They were following different versions of the golden calf of jesus christ.

And then we get to North America and the colonial times.

Groups of Europeans came to the Americas and colonized in the name of the golden calf called "freedom". A very narrow freedom however. They wanted the freedom they were demanding only for themselves and were quite willing to perform genocide on anyone who was already in place. And did perform genocide.

They were also quite willing to deny freedom to other Europeans who did not fit their definition of belonging so that their "freedom" would not be impinged. And the denial of freedom to people forced from Africa to the Americas was brutal and continues to this day in the United States of America.

And today we have, in the United States, a group of people who have decided that freedom only applies to them and people who look, think, feel, and are like them.

And today we have the ultimate golden calf. Donald Trump. He who is called a christian by those who are following the golden calf of Christian Nationality. And, by their lights, he is a christian. Cannot name a single book in the bible. Cannot site a single passage in the bible that inspires him. Cannot name a single idea that guides him. He is doing everything that he can to advance the United States becoming a christian theocracy in the name of the Uber Wealthy Oligarchs. And, for them, that is all you need to be a christian.

Here is the deal. If you believe in god then anything that gets in the way of you having a relationship with this god is a golden calf. A representation of this god that you profess to believe in. Whether that is the leadership of a man saving you and your people from generations of slavery, or a man deified as the son of god, or a man preaching submission to god, these are all barriers to your relationship with that god.

Anything, and I do mean anything, that one believes that cannot be questioned, is stuck in a box and can never grow or change, that requires one to hate others and make them wrong, and so much more, is a golden calf. A false idol. A nightmare sold to one as a dream.

Today there are many golden calves around. The biggest is the notion of a christian nation. And another is the false prophet of Donald John Trump. Another is the blame of others, like immigrants, as the author of our troubles. The idea that tomorrow is the day that everything will finally be alright. There are so many more.

And our "burnt offerings to those golden calves? Our rage. Our blame. Our hate. Our justification of heinous acts to others. And mostly, our discernment. And there are so many more.

We offer up our own Humanity, Dignity, and Power on the alter of these golden calves in the belief that we need something outside our selves to be ok.

And that, my friends, is the biggest loss of all.

So my friends, what golden calves are you bowing before? What false idols are you offering up your Humanity to? What false belief are you giving your Dignity and Power up for? What false god are you asking to make your self whole?

Love. It is the only Rational Act.

Love each other or die.

Namaste 🙏